


Make The Flowers Bloom Again

by Sandyclaws68



Series: Making Moments Count [7]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Gen, M/M, Pain's Assault, Temporary Character Death, a little angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-05 03:44:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4164462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandyclaws68/pseuds/Sandyclaws68
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Kakashi stood between Iruka and the Akatsuki, one hand clenched on the metal rod.  Tiny sparks of lightning arced down it, and his Sharingan gleamed red in the sunlight.  His face was cold; no sign of any emotion at all.  He didn't even look at Iruka.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Make The Flowers Bloom Again

“Tell me where the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails is, or else I'll kill you.”

Iruka froze, taking in the red cloud design on the man's cloak. _Akatsuki_ , he said to himself before lifting his head to stare into a face like something out of a nightmare. It wasn't the strange piercings that followed the bridge of the man's nose and along the line of his ears, or even the unusual purple whorls of his eyes. No, it was the utterly impassive expression on his face that didn't waver, even as he was threatening another person's life. That and the way he coldly referred to Naruto as nothing but a Jinchuriki.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind Iruka felt the memories flood his brain, cascading one after another. Helping Naruto clean the Hokage Monument after one of his more spectacular pranks. Eating ramen at Ichiraku afterwards. Naruto, shaking with fear and apprehension as Iruka shielded him from Mizuki, Iruka's blood dripping on the boy's face. The joy on his face when Iruka congratulated him on passing the second stage of the chuunin exam. Every bone-crushing hug as well as all the tears of joy and sadness. All of it, so intense that his own emotions seemed on the verge of overwhelming him. But he didn't flinch away.

“I have no intention of telling you anything,” he growled.

“Then I have no use for you.”

A black rod, one end jagged and sharp, seemed to appear from the sleeve of the cloak as if out of thin air, and Iruka could do nothing but watch as his own death came closer. He avoided thinking of the one person he would have liked to have with him in his last moments, determined to die as he had always tried to live, with no regrets.

A flash of lightning appeared in the corner of his eye and his breath caught in his throat. Kakashi stood between Iruka and the Akatsuki, one hand clenched on the metal rod. Tiny sparks of lightning arced down it, and his Sharingan gleamed red in the sunlight. His face was cold; no sign of any emotion at all. He didn't even look at Iruka.

“Take the wounded one and go. Leave this to me.”

“Ka -”

“GO!” the older man all but snarled, all his attention focused on his opponent.

Iruka swallowed hard and nodded once, even though he knew Kakashi couldn't see it. He gathered the injured man against his side, slinging one of his arms around his own shoulders, then leaped away from the two men locked in a deadly confrontation. He felt his stomach twist and forced his emotions down. _Good luck, Kakashi_ was the last thought he spared for the man who had saved his life.

For the man that he loved.

**************

Kakashi didn't spare even that much thought for Iruka after he escaped. He couldn't afford to. Having heard from Fukasaku what Pain had done to Jiraiya he knew that even the slightest lapse in his concentration would be deadly. But like Iruka he was unnerved by the expressionless face of his opponent and the strength he felt matched against his own. He took a small step back, shifting his weight in readiness, meeting the other man's eyes. A part of him knew that this was a fight he couldn't win, but he'd take it on anyway. At worst he would only delay Pain's plans; at best he would have enough time to learn something about the other's strengths and abilities.

At absolute best he would stay alive long enough to get that information to Tsunade.

Suddenly the metal rod snapped between their hands, almost as a signal. Kakashi ducked out of the way as Pain's foot flew to his face, hands flashing through a series of signs. “Doton: Doryouuheki!” The earth wall, with its decorative canine sculptures, exploded out of the ground, isolating the pair of them from the rest of the village.

Then another rod appeared in Pain's hand, and before he even registered that fact Kakashi felt the metal pierce his left shoulder and he sucked in a breath at the agony. Without conscious thought lightning sparked in his right hand, quickly coalescing. “Raikiri!” But in the few heartbeats between saying the word and striking Kakashi felt a strange power emanating from Pain's eyes, and the Raikiri missed its intended target.

 _What was that?_ he thought to himself as he stepped back, ignoring the jolt as his left shoulder was pulled free. He was vaguely aware of the man in front of him asking about the Nine-Tails, but he ignored that and focused instead on regenerating the Raikiri for another attempt. He leaped forward in the attack. . .

Only to be shoved back by a powerful, invisible force. The last thing he saw was the earth wall disintegrating before he was trapped under a pile of rubble.

**************

Chaos. That was the only word to describe what Iruka found when he arrived at the hospital. There were injured people in various states of distress and stages of healing. Some, the walking wounded, were helping to comfort, move, or tend to those injured the worst. And Sakura was at the center of all of it, calm, controlled, and in command. He caught himself before he could ask why neither Tsunade nor Shizune were there; he had seen portions of Katsuyu in the village as he made his way to the hospital, which told him that Tsunade was doing what was needed to help her people. Shizune's presence was obviously needed elsewhere.

Sakura wasted no words as she directed him where to place the wounded man still draped across his back. But she did spare a second to look him over for injuries. Iruka shook his head as he smiled at her. “I'm all right,” he said. She nodded once and went back to work.

And Iruka did as well. There were plenty of wounded out in the village that needed help, and as long as he could help that was exactly what he'd do.

But his resolve wavered almost as soon as it formed when a strange blast knocked him off his feet. When he regained his senses he saw a massive cloud of dust and debris rising against the horizon. It came from the area in which he had left Kakashi.

**************

Dying was a surprisingly peaceful process. If anyone had questioned him about it prior to his current experience Kakashi would have replied that he expected to fight tooth and nail to stay alive. But when the moment came it just seemed like far too much effort compared to the slow and welcome descent into oblivion that he felt overtaking him.

He wasn't done fighting, though. Not by any means. He had a stranglehold on the last few slivers of chakra that he could feel deep inside, keeping them in easy reach. From his position trapped in the rubble he could see the dead bodies of four shinobi – four comrades – all of them tossed aside like matchsticks by that repulsion jutsu of Pain's.

And closer – close enough that he could hear sobbing – were the Akimichis, father and son. Kakashi could feel a powerful sense of regret as his gaze fell on Choza's unmoving body. The Akimichi clan head had been a powerful father figure in his life, especially since the Yondaime's death. Part friend, part mentor, always there with a encouraging word or a helpful hint, Choza had been one of the few adults in his life to treat his teenage self as simply Kakashi, without reference to The White Fang or the child prodigy. He would miss that calm presence in his life.

Or what was left of it.

But there was one last task that he had to do. “Chouji,” he said, just loud enough for the young man to hear him. He winced as Chouji's tear-stained face was raised to his.

“He. . . He protected me,” Chouji choked out, glancing at his father's peaceful face. And Kakashi pulled out of his memory, recorded with the Sharingan's horrifying precision, an image of the last moment before his lightning had been pushed out and enveloped them all. An unendurable vision of Choza leaping in front of his son.

“He did,” Kakashi replied, his voice noticeably quieter. He was starting to fade, and he knew it. “Chouji.” When the young man (boy, really) looked up again he was more composed. “Don't let Choza's sacrifice be in vain. You know what I know; get that information to the Godaime.”

Chouji looked shell-shocked for a moment before nodding. “I will, Kakashi-sensei.” He nodded again, face set in determination. “I will.” And without another word he set off, casting one last, mournful glance at his father before squaring his shoulders and bounding from the roof of the damaged building they had been fighting on.

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe the situation wasn't completely hopeless. Maybe, just maybe. . .

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Pain with the impressive array of weaponry rise to his feet, attention focused on Chouji. There was a brief pause, and then some sort of missile was flying through the air, making directly for the young Akimichi. For a moment it looked like Chouji might be able to dodge it, but then it locked on, and Kakashi felt his heart leap to his throat. No. No way was this happening.

He opened his left eye, feeling the immediate drain on what was left of his chakra as the Sharingan sprang to life. Ignoring the pain that coursed through him he pushed the last of his energy into the eye, and felt the change in pressure that told him the Mangekyo had awoken. With no hesitation he focused that eye on the air in front of the remaining missile, feeling the pull of the Kamui's other dimension. The missile disappeared, and Kakashi felt a smile tug at his mouth before slipping away. In the last moment before complete darkness descended he released his final, infinitesimally small spark of chakra, one word - one name - reverberating through his heart and mind.

_Iruka._

**************

Iruka knew the moment it happened. He was helping an injured civilian get clear of the rubble that had been her shop when he dropped to his knees with a stifled cry of pain. His stomach twisted into a tight knot and his heart contracted in on itself, almost as if it was being crushed. He had to swallow hard against the urge to vomit.

“Are you all right, sensei?” the woman asked, concern wreathing her features.

He nodded weakly and tried to smile but suspected it came out as more of a grimace. He almost opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself in time. Puking his guts out was not how he wanted the day to go, not on top of everything else that had happened. Instead he rose to his feet, staggering slightly. And when he took a deep breath he felt the knot in his stomach ease slightly, although his heart still felt like it was being crushed in a giant fist. He suspected that feeling would be with him for a long time, if it ever went away. He almost had himself convinced that he felt fine.

Until he got a good look at what was happening around him. Smoke was spiraling into the air from at least three fires in the immediate vicinity. There were shouts, and people running – civilians away from and shinobi towards the signs of destruction. He could hear the roaring of no animals he recognized and turned his head just in time to see a cloud of dust rise from what had been the T & I building.

The chaos was almost enough to distract him from the figurative knife slicing his heart to pieces. Almost.

He couldn't stay there and indulge those emotions, though. Grief – heartfelt, anguished, and gut-wrenching – would come, he knew that. But for now his village needed him, and he'd do whatever he could to help and protect it.

“Go, sensei.” Iruka's head snapped around to stare at the woman beside him. She nodded. “I'll be okay,” she said, smiling slightly. “Other people need you more.”

Iruka had to blink back a sudden rush of tears; one person would never need him again. But he acknowledged her words with a slight smile and a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Try and get to the hospital,” he told her. “It's the most secure place in the village, and your help would be appreciated.” And without waiting for a response he took off, leaping to the top of a nearby (and miraculously unscathed) building, slowly and carefully working his way towards the center of the insanity that enveloped Konoha. He closed his heart and his mind to what he saw around him and simply let his body take over; let it carry him through what needed to be done.

Until a moment of stunned silence came. He was working with another shinobi, a man who's name he couldn't remember, when all the noises of battle ceased. The crackling of the fires and the moans of the wounded were still audible, but they were deathly quiet compared to what had been before. It was almost as if the entire world was holding its breath, waiting.

“Wha. . . What's happening?” the other man asked, the fear all too evident in his voice.

Iruka shook his head and looked around. “I don't know,” he whispered.

There was a blinding flash of light, and then blackness descended and the world as he knew it was no more.

**************

It felt like sinking beneath placid water; a long descent into nothingness. He didn't think it was ever going to stop, until two hands took hold of his wrists, righted him, and set him gently on his feet. Two hands attached to two achingly familiar faces. And one more behind them just to complete the circle of emotional agony.

_Obito. . . Rin. . . Sensei. . . I'll be joining you now._

But the three beloved forms disappeared like starbursts, exploding and arcing away into the limitless sky. It didn't make him feel lonely, though. This time he knew they'd be waiting for him.

A sudden warmth on one side of his face caught his attention at the same moment he heard flames crackling. When he looked that way he saw a fire, and against its glow a silhouette that grabbed at something deep in his soul. A silhouette of someone he didn't know, not really, but who was nevertheless eerily familiar.

“Is that you, Kakashi?”

“So this is where you were,” Kakashi said as he walked closer to the fire and took a seat on one of the rocks nearby.

“Will you tell me your story?”

He could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “It's a pretty long story; I'll need to take my time.”

“That's fine.” The other man grinned. “I'm not exactly in a hurry.”

“Well, Father. . .”

**************

It was light again; natural, gentle sunlight, not the glaringly bright flash that he remembered from just moments before. And a weight was lifting itself off of his back. As it moved he became aware of the sorts of pains he associated with being bodily thrown to the ground. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in the soil beneath him, and with a suddenness he could barely comprehend he remembered.

“Iruka! Are you all right?”

“Forgive me!” a gentle voice spoke beside him. “It took everything just to cover you all; there wasn't time to be gentle.”

Iruka opened his eyes and raised himself on to his elbows. “It's all right. You're not to blame, Katsuyu-sama. You're to be thanked.” He tried to smile but knew it was weak and anemic. Then he looked around at the devastation that surrounded them. _I just hope everyone else is all right_ , he thought as he closed his eyes to turn that thought into a prayer.

But as soon as his eyes closed he felt a strange sensation, almost like a tickle, at the back of his mind. It was a powerful, and completely familiar, presence. He stretched out his chakra, probing for the emotion he expected, but was dreading, to find.

His eyes flew open.  _No. No, no, no, no._ “Naruto,” he choked out.

“Yes,” Katsuyu whispered, head hanging and antennae drooping. “He's here. Fighting.”

Iruka rose to his feet with shaky knees. “I need to go. He needs help.”

“NO!” It was strange to hear the soft-spoken Katsuyu all but shout. “Everyone needs to stay away, stay safe. He asked for that.”

Iruka wanted to argue, wanted to rage, wanted to. . . He sighed and sank back down to the ground, inwardly pleased that his legs hadn't simply given out on him. It might be the hardest thing he ever had to do, but if it was Naruto's turn to protect him he'd find a way to live with that. He'd still worry – Good God would he worry! - but he wouldn't interfere. And he understood why; it wasn't just because Naruto was strong and determined – those went without saying. It was all connected to the boy's need to prove himself, his desire for praise and acceptance. These were feelings that Iruka himself knew all too well.

And there was more than enough to do in the ruins of the village. There were wounded to be attended to, shocked civilians to be helped and comforted. He set to work, everything else becoming a blur around him. Katsuyu stayed with him, following as he moved about, giving him occasional updates on how Naruto's fight was progressing. He almost wished she wouldn't, as every word made his already aching heart twist.

But her presence at least gave him a measure of warning when an explosion of chakra erupted in the ruins of the village. A chakra that was dark and malignant, and so powerful it nearly sucked the breath out of his body. The feel of it instantly catapulted him back in time to the night his parents had been killed.

“Is. . . Is that. . .” he barely managed to gasp out.

“Yes,” Katsuyu whispered. “It's the Nine Tails. It's taken over Naruto. Completely.” Iruka choked back a sob. “Hinata. . .” Katsuyu spoke again after a moment. “Hinata tried to protect Naruto, and she's. . .”

Iruka held up a hand, closing his eyes as tears slid down his cheeks. He didn't want to hear the rest. He wasn't sure he could take any more as it was. His village, his home, his family. . . What little was left was surely hanging by a thread.

**************

If this hadn't been the longest day of his life it was definitely a candidate, but when Iruka took a few moments to study the position of the sun he was amazed to realize that barely two hours had elapsed since chaos had descended on Konoha. Two hours to have wrought so much death and destruction. It hardly seemed real, but a smart shinobi never denied the evidence of his eyes.

At least it was quiet at the moment. The chakra of the Nine Tails, oppressive and full of malice, had faded; at first moving away from the village and then disappearing all together. That fact, and the suddenness with which it happened, had set Iruka reeling, emotionally, until he was able to filter through the confused jumble of feelings and sense Naruto. Still alive and nearby. Determined to end this fight in any way it could be done.

“Katsuyu-sama?” he asked in a whisper. He was surprisingly grateful that she was still with him, perched on his shoulder in a much reduced size from when she had protected him during the mass destruction.

“Sensei?”

“Is Naruto -” He found he couldn't finish the sentence.

“He's gone to find the real Pain,” she said, clearly knowing what he wanted. “He told Nara-san and Yamanaka-san that he would finish this, one way or another. And that he'd do it alone.” Iruka managed to swallow his instinctive protest, although a small change in Katsuyu's demeanor told him she wasn't fooled. “We all need to trust him,” she commented after a long silence. “Tsunade-sama does.”

And Iruka had done so for years as well, and saw no reason to stop now. So he simply nodded before taking several deep breaths in an effort to calm himself. Now that the situation had more or less settled down it was possible that his emotions, if unchecked, would start to impact the people around him. And considering everything that had happened that day _that_ was a very, very bad idea.

Once he felt calm enough he went back to work, assisting anyone that he could find; healing minor injuries, getting the more seriously injured what medical help was available. He wasn't aware of time passing, was barely aware of anything going on beyond his immediate notice. It wasn't until Katsuyu caught her breath and suddenly disappeared from his shoulder that he looked around.

There was that same sensation of the entire world holding it's breath that he remembered from earlier, only this time it wasn't followed by a blinding light. Instead a gentle, green glow covered the landscape, almost like colored rain falling from the cloudless sky. When he squinted Iruka could see that it was actually dozens, if not hundreds, of individual beams of light, pouring down over the ruins of the village.

And then one of the dead bodies near him coughed and sat up. Iruka staggered, knees weak with shock. He was still trying to process what he was seeing when deep inside, in the emotional core of his entire being, he felt something else stir back to life. He pressed a hand to his mouth to hold back the sob of sheer joy that tried to escape.

“Iruka-sensei!”

He spun towards the sound of someone calling his name, wobbling slightly on still weak knees. At the sight before him of Konohamaru and Ebisu he felt such a rush of relief that it threatened to drown him. He moved forward a few quick steps. “You're alive!” Then he noticed how Ebisu was leaning heavily on Konohamaru's shoulder, awkwardly keeping the weight off of one leg. “You're hurt, Ebisu-sensei?” he asked.

Ebisu shook his head. It's nothing.” He grinned proudly at his student. “Konohamaru saved me.” The boy smiled and laughed a little self-consciously. “But never mind that,” Ebisu went on. “What's happening?”

Iruka merely grunted in reply, a sound that adequately expressed his own bafflement. Besides, the question wasn't _what_ was happening; the answer to that was obvious. But how? And why?

And where the hell was Naruto?

**************

“I never would have guessed that both you and I would die so early,” Sakumo said with a self-deprecating laugh. “Although not as early as your mother.”

Kakashi shifted a little uncomfortably on the rock he was sitting on. There was one question he almost desperately wanted to ask his father; a question that had been eating away at some part of his mind since the day of Sakumo's suicide. “Father, I -” He shook his head and bit back the words, only to start thinking that this may be his only chance. “Why did you, the famed White Fang of Konoha, choose to ignore all of the rules and abandon such a critical mission in order to save your comrades? You could have lived. . .” His voice trailed off and then he laughed; a small, mirthless sound. “I was so bitter, for such a long time.”

“You took it very hard, didn't you?”

“Yes, I did. But I know you did your best, no matter the outcome.” He turned his head slightly to look at his father. “And it took me a while but I understand it now. You may have broken the code, but you saved everyone's life, and I'm proud of that fact. I'm. . . I'm proud of you.”

The crackling of the fire filled the sudden silence. “Thank you,” Sakumo whispered.

The words were barely uttered when an aura of sorts filled the space surrounding them and bathed Kakashi in an eerie green light. He felt his breath catch as. . . something all but surged over and through him. He glanced at his father, and saw the other man's outline was starting to fade.

“Seems it was too soon for you to come here; there must be something you're still meant to do.”

“Father. . .”

Sakumo smiled. “I'm glad we had this chance to talk. Now that I know you've forgiven me I can move on and be at peace.”

There was a long moment of understanding between father and son before Kakashi disappeared in a flash of green light. Sakumo rose from his perch on a rock as the flames started to go out. “I'll finally be able to see your mother,” he whispered to the darkness.

Those words echoed in Kakashi's head as his eyes opened to take in a startlingly blue sky above him. He sat up, taking in the rest of his surroundings, barely aware that Choza, Chouji, and Katsuyu were speaking. His mind may have been reeling from whatever had just happened, but his heart had room for only one thing.

He needed to see Iruka.

Choza argued, insisting that they find some sort of medical attention for him, but Kakashi waved him off. He felt tired, and a little weaker than usual, but was otherwise unharmed. Besides, even a fool could see that the village was in no state to provide anything to anyone. He could scarcely believe his eyes as he took in the devastation around them. Katsuyu assured him that despite what he saw there were no fatalities, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He made his way through the rubble, taking time to help people if they needed it, but always with his goal at the back of his mind. He could feel Iruka; all that riot of emotions coming at him in waves as the other man worked at controlling his power. But Kakashi was a special case, someone from whom Iruka couldn't hide.

And then he looked up and Iruka was there, clothes dirty and torn, ponytail askew on the back of his head, facing away from his approach. And Kakashi felt his breath leave him in an almost painful sigh.

“Iruka.”

The other man's shoulders stiffened and he half turned his head toward the voice. Kakashi took a step closer, oddly hesitant, but stopped when Iruka raised a hand. “Find him,” he gasped out, voice half-choked with fear and worry. “Please. Find Naruto and bring him back.”

**************

There should have been a celebration of some sort, an acknowledgment that the people of Konoha had made it through yet another crisis. They may have been bloodied, but they remained unbowed. And they had a new hero to honor and praise, one that nobody had ever expected to rise to such heights.

No one except Iruka, of course. He had always known exactly how deep Naruto's strength ran, and that the source of that strength was his love for his home. A love that had never diminished, no matter what. He may have been reviled, even vilified, for long years as a child, but he hadn't let that effect the person he became. And now he was the hero, the favorite son of Konoha. The celebration of his return had been proof of that; it had been massive and spontaneous, joyous and heartfelt.

But it had faded away as word began to spread of the one great casualty the village had suffered. Not a death, no, but perhaps a little bit worse. For Tsunade-sama, their Hokage, was in a coma. They were leaderless, rudderless, and in danger of foundering. Any celebrating still going on quickly ground to a halt as a strangely solemn quiet descended on what was left of the village.

Iruka felt the same sadness and worry, and had wandered away from the area where most of the citizens had gathered in order to deal with his emotions on his own. He had not been surprised to find his entire neighborhood reduced to rubble, the only sign of life in the place the water still spouting out of broken pipes. The destruction of the academy, however, had caught at his heart and made tears spring to his eyes. The place had been more his home than anywhere else in the village, and there was nothing left. He stood in the shadow of what should have been the gate, trying vainly to keep the tears from sliding down his cheeks.

But it wasn't all lost, he realized when a breeze blew against his damp face. He looked to his right and laughed out loud. The tree – that damned tree – was still standing The tree that had sheltered countless students over the generations – providing shade from the sun and protection from the rain – was still there, still spreading its branches, still waiting for the next person that needed to find solace under its leaves. And Iruka realized that that was exactly what he needed at the moment, and didn't hesitate. He walked to the tree, pressing a hand and then his forehead against the rough bark, before all but collapsing to his knees and leaning against it. He stopped fighting against his tears.

He was unaware of time passing; it may have been only a few minutes or it may have been a few hours before he heard the soft voice. “I had a feeling I'd find you here.”

Iruka's eyes sprang open and he awkwardly turned, still on his knees. “Kakashi,” he breathed, unable to raise his voice any louder. He tried to get to his feet but his legs had gone numb while he'd been kneeling there and he staggered as he tried to move. In the blink of an eye Kakashi was beside him, catching and holding him close against his chest.

“Don't,” he said. He still held Iruka as he maneuvered behind him to sit down with his back against the tree. “No need to get up.” He shifted Iruka around until the younger man was sitting between his legs, back pressed tight against Kakashi's chest. As the older man's arms tightened around him Iruka felt the return of tears.

“You were dead,” Iruka said, voice thick with emotion.

“I know.”

“You were _dead_ ,” Iruka repeated, turning so that he could see Kakashi's face. He reached out slowly, laying one hand on the other man's cheek, fingers lightly combing the silver hair that hung below the hitai-ate.

Kakashi tugged his mask down and held Iruka's head between his hands, gently framing the other man's face. “I'm alive,” he said. “ _Alive_.” Then the dam of emotions burst and their lips met, crushed together in a frantic kiss, a vibrant tangle of tongues, a salty touch of tears, and a powerful affirmation of life. It only ended when a sound like a pained squeak escaped Iruka's throat.

Kakashi immediately relaxed his hold on his lover. “Sorry.”

“Don't be,” Iruka said in between the kisses he was pressing to every part of Kakashi's face. “In fact, do that again.”

Kakashi laughed softly. “Which? The squeeze or the kiss?”

“If you want to stay alive it had better be both,” Iruka replied with a teasing glare. He sighed when Kakashi's arms tightened around him again and his face came close for a much gentler kiss.

Long moments later they parted with a shared exhalation. Kakashi still sat with his back firmly against the tree but Iruka stretched out, half lying on his side, and wrapped his arms around Kakashi's waist and pressed one cheek against the other man's chest so he could listen to every heartbeat. He sighed when the tie in his hair was tugged free and Kakashi's fingers started combing through the auburn strands.

“Everything that happened today, and your damn hair still feels like silk,” Kakashi whispered, sounding slightly awed. “I was afraid I'd never get a chance to touch it again,” he went on, his voice breaking as he rested his cheek on top of Iruka's head, slowly rubbing against his soft hair.

“I love you,” Iruka replied, face still against the other man's chest.. He found himself smiling slightly. “And thank you.”

Kakashi pulled away just enough so their eyes could meet. “For what?”

Iruka blinked back another rush of tears. “You found Naruto and brought him home. Safe.”

“Of course I did; you asked me to.” He shifted and sat up straighter, pulling his back away from the tree and holding Iruka's shoulders to ensure the other man was looking at him. “Iruka,” he began, a touch of nervousness in his voice. “I. . . I have something I want to say to you. Something important. Something I don't want to risk never getting another chance to say.”

Puzzled, and a little disturbed by the vehement emotion in the jounin's voice, Iruka could only nod. “I'm listening,” he said. But silence dragged out between them, until Iruka took hold of Kakashi's chin and forced the other man's eyes to meet his. “Kakashi? What is it?”

“I. . .” He took a deep breath and pushed one hand through his hair. “I don't. . .” he exhaled in a gusty sigh. “Damn, this is harder than I thought it would be.” He pulled his gaze away from Iruka's, knowing that it would be easier if he wasn't caught in those warm brown eyes. “If I could have any wish come true, I would make the flowers bloom again.” He looked up at the violet twilight sky above them, a few stars just beginning to show. “But under this starry sky I have one other wish.” He dropped his eyes back to Iruka's face. “A wish that you will be happy.”

Iruka's face glowed with one of his habitual blushes, but his expression was confused. “Umm, Kakashi? That's a wonderfully romantic sentiment, and statement, but frankly it makes no sense.” He grinned slightly. “Just say what you want to say. I promise I don't mind if it's in plain and simple words.”

Kakashi felt his face heat. Clearly death – however temporary it had been – had muddled his brain if he was talking in romantic riddles. He tugged at the chain around his neck, pulling his identity tags free and over his head. With a quick twist of his wrist he separated the two pieces of metal and held one out towards Iruka. “I've been thinking about this for a while now,” he began, feeling the telltale burn at the tips of his ears. “And I don't want another day like this to happen without doing something about it. I realize that I may not be going about this in the best way, but it is kind of spur of the moment, you see, and I -”

Iruka held up one hand. “You're rambling,” he said with a soft smile.

“Sorry.”

“Just tell me,” Iruka said, clasping one of his hands over Kakashi's that held the metal tag.

“Iruka. . . I. . .” Kakashi sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. “Will you marry me?” he blurted out.

Now it was Iruka's turn to flush to his ears and stumble over words. “I. . . I'm not. . . WHAT?!”

Kakashi grinned. Now that he had gotten past that stumbling block all of his confident teasing returned full force. “I believe you heard me the first time, sensei,” he said, one eyebrow rising toward his hairline.

“Of course I heard you, I was just -” He clamped his mouth shut on the flow of semi-angry words and smiled. “Was it really so difficult to say?” he asked, leaning closer and removing the identity tag from Kakashi's hand.

“Oh, yes. It was definitely that difficult to say.” Kakashi touched his forehead to Iruka's. “And I'm still waiting for an answer,” he whispered, voice husky.

In response Iruka pulled away slightly and reached beneath his collar to the chain that held his own identity tags. He broke the two pieces apart and held one out to Kakashi. “Does this answer your question?”

Long minutes later a kiss ended and two last vows were made, sealed under a starlit sky.

“I promise I'll make you happy,” Kakashi averred.

“You already do.”

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this fic and Kakashi's awkward romantic declaration near the end both come from the song _Song For. . ._ by the artist Rookiez is Punk'd. I first heard the song as an ending theme from _Bleach_ and fell so in love with it it was almost painful.
> 
> Lyrics and translation can be found here: http://bleach.wikia.com/wiki/Song_For...
> 
> Kakashi/Iruka video I made with this song: https://vimeo.com/131148299
> 
> I seriously sat on this fic for nearly two months; in fact I wrote three others for the same series during that time. No matter how many times I set it aside or re-read it it never seemed quite right, but I decided to leave it as is. I figured since even Kakashi gets all awkward in this one my issues with it are pretty negligible. :D


End file.
